Image courtesy of Daniel Bartel (Imagn Images)

Mike Vrabel is doing what (mostly) everyone wanted.

Vrabel is cleaning house in Foxborough and bringing in a wealth of experienced coaches that have learned and honed their craft elsewhere. Perhaps most importantly for Pats fans, the majority of these new faces aren’t just guys with New England ties to the dynasty days.

After finalizing his coordinators last week with Josh McDaniels taking over as OC and Williams being named the new DC, a bevy of news regarding other coaching positions came down on Monday.

According to multiple outlets, Doug Marrone is coming aboard, although it’s not clear exactly what his role will be. Marrone had been hanging around at BC this past season after coaching for 33 consecutive seasons. Marrone wasn’t on the BC staff, but served as a sounding board for Bill O’Brien and the staff. If he’s not in the same role for Vrabel (feels like he will be), then one would have to think he’s going to be heavily involved with the offensive line and tight ends.

Speaking of tight ends, the new tight ends coach and passing game coordinator is Thomas Brown. Brown served under Sean McVay in Los Angeles from 2020-2022 as the Rams’ running backs coach (’20), assistant head coach and running backs coach (’21) and assistant coach and tight ends coach (’22). He had a tough year with Carolina in 2023 as the offensive coordinator and spent last season on a roller coaster ride with the Chicago Bears, going from passing game coordinator, to offensive coordinator, to interim head coach.

Brown played his college ball at Georgia as a running back (2004-2007) and began coaching as the Bulldogs’ strength and conditioning coach in 2011. He had coaching stops at Chattanooga, Marshall, Wisconsin, Miami and South Carolina before moving on to the NFL.

Vrabel also added Jason Houghtaling to his offensive staff, presumably to work with the O-line. Houghtaling is a Lafayette alum who began his coaching career with Wagner in 2006 as running backs coach. He moved to O-line coach from 2007-2009 before heading to Troy High School to be the head coach for a year in 2010.

In 2011 and 2012 Houghtaling was the Williams OC before taking the same role at Cornell in 2013 and Wagner in 2014. From 2015-2019 he served as the Wagner head coach before taking the Colgate O-line job. He got his first NFL shot with Vrabel in Tennessee starting in 2021 as an assistant offensive line coach. He ran the show in the O-line room for the Titans in 2023 before taking an assistant O-line role with the Bears last season.

It was also reported that both Dont’a Hightower and Drew Wilkins will not be back on staff this season as Vrabel continues to clean up the mess left by Jerod Mayo at 1 Patriot Place.